Friday, December 28, 2012

Justin Bieber Reportedly Out of Control & Acting Out

According to several reports Justin Bieber is getting out of control, smoking pot and exuding “bratty” behavior, which has some people over at Def Jam scratching their heads. But, hey, isn’t this kid only 18?

A mole in Bieber’s camp leaked information to the media, revealing “He smokes weed all day, from the time he gets up, and orders everybody around. He’s surrounded by hangers-on who say ‘yes’ to anything he wants. There’s no supervision.”

Insiders also revealed that his camp has tried to talk to him about his behavior, but “Justin doesn’t seem to care and does whatever he wants, but he doesn’t listen to anyone.” His camp is also really worried that his antics “could really damage his reputation if they don’t get it under control … Just look at what happened with Britney Spears.”

Do you think Justin is going down a destructive path?

Justin Bieber Reportedly Out of Control & Acting Out

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WORLD EXCLUSIVE: BRAD TO PAY $10 MILLION FOR ANGIE SEX TAPE!

INSIDER: BRAD PITT to shell out $10 million to bury ANGLEINA’s XXX tape and pix FOREVER!

TO shield his kids from bride-to-be Angelina Jolie’s tawdry past, Brad Pitt is ready to shell out a staggering $10 million to make sure raunchy photos and a rumored sex tape she made never see the light of day, according to an insider, who says Brad will do WHATEVER it takes to bury all evidence of Angelina’s wild sex-and-drugs escapades.

While a slew of racy photos have already made their way onto the Internet, The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively that there may be even MORE photos floating around – including some involving self-mutilation – as well as a possible sex tape.

Brad, 49, fears that if these rumored photos and video were ever made public, it would scar the couple’s six children emotionally and psychologically, a close source revealed.

Brad and Angelina, who have been together since 2004, are parents toMaddox, 11, Pax, 9, Zahara, 7, Shiloh, 6, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 4.

“Brad’s out to protect the new image that Angelina has tried hard to build – A-list actress, doting mother of six and UN human-rights crusader,” the source continued. “He’ll do whatever it takes to buy these photos and track down the alleged sex tape.”

According to the source, a team of investigators Brad hired to find incriminating evidence of Angelina’s past has told him that the 37-year-old actress may have made a sex tape during a “drug-fueled session” in 1999.

“THE ALLEGED TAPE was made around the same time that a friend snapped kinky photos of a strung-out looking Angelina,” the source continued.

Those photos, widely circulated on the Internet, include some in which Angelina placed black tape over her nipples and a dog leash around her neck. In others, she sported a blindfold over her eyes. During that shoot, Angelina’s tattoo-artist friend Friday Jones inked the name of her now ex-husband, Billy Bob Thornton, on her pubic area.

While those photos are enough to send Brad over the edge, insiders say he’s more concerned about what has NOT been published yet.

In the fall of 1999, Angelina was photographed during what’s been described as a 14-hour heroin-smoking bender while holed up in Beverly Hills’ L’Ermitage hotel.

“Angie was so whacked out on dope that she doesn’t recall exactly what she did,” divulged an insider. “But she believes that it may have involved ‘cutting,’ as well as racy sex.”

Brad was blindsided in 2010 when author Andrew Morton exposed Angelina’s drug benders, lesbian flings and celebrity sex romps – including perverted sex games with ex-husband Thornton in his shocking biography of the actress. But the source says it was the eye-popping S&M photos and the prospect of a sex tape that worries Brad the most.

“And there’s a lot Angelina wouldn’t mind erasing from her past,” maintained Morton. “I don’t think she’d appreciate a teenage Maddox surfing the net and asking, ‘Hey mom, why are you tied up with tape all over your breasts?’”

The source says the raunchy photos are now in the hands of a “reputable agency,” but Brad is trying to locate the amateur photographer who shot the pictures, and to discover if there are even more shocking images that were never made public.

“He’s willing to spend $10 million if he has

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: BRAD TO PAY $10 MILLION FOR ANGIE SEX TAPE!

Whitney Houston was murdered by drug dealers, private investigator says

Whitney Houston: 1963-2012

Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music’s queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died Saturday in Beverly Hills. She was 48.

Whitney Houston was murdered, according to claims by private investigator Paul Huebl published in the National Equirer.

The Hollywood detective has allegedly uncovered evidence – including CCTV footage – that points to her being the victim of an attack by two men who were sent to collect a debt for drugs.

The troubled “Bodyguard” singer, who died on February 11 2012 at the Beverly Hilton, is said to have owed in excess of $1.5 million to dangerous dealers before her shock death in Los Angeles.

“I have evidence that points to Whitney being a victim of high-powered drug dealers who sent thugs to collect a huge debt she owed for drugs,” he told the tabloid.

He also believes that despite a coroner’s report that claims there was no foul play involved, the signs on her body tell a different story.

“Whitney’s body shows classic defense wounds that would have occurred while she was battling for her life,” he said.

Huebl claims to have discovered the new information through a network of informants and says he is now handing the evidence over to the FBI in an attempt to have the case reopened.

EXCLUSIVE COVER STORY: WHITNEY HOUSTON WAS MURDERED!

^-A ⁺A

Published on: December 26, 2012

by DAWNA KAUFMANN & JOHN BLOSSER, NATIONAL ENQUIRER

Photography by: The National Enquirer

A leading private investigator has unearthed bombshell new evidence that tragic diva WHITNEY HOUSTON was murdered – and he’s taking it to the FBI to get the case reopened.

The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively that Paul Huebl, a former Chicago police investigator and now a top Hollywood private eye, plans to present his secret dossier to the bureau’s Chicago office – revealing shocking evidence that details who killed Whitney and why.

In a sensational disclosure that can crack the case wide open, Huebl says he’s received a tip from knowledgeable sources that Whitney’s killers are actually caught on hotel videotape, and he’s contacting FBI agents to take a fresh look at the case he believes local authorities bungled or covered up.

“I have evidence that points to Whitney being a victim of high-powered drug dealers who sent thugs to collect a huge debt she owed for drugs,” Huebl told The ENQUIRER.

The veteran investigator believes he is close to learning the identity of the vicious killers.

He says they are two men from a group of scruffy hangers-on – unknown by Whitney’s usual entourage – who kept showing up in the days before the singer’s untimely death at age 48.

His confidential informants insist that close examination of the surveillance videos from the Beverly Hilton hotel, where Whitney died, will show two shadowy characters entering and leaving her suite right around the time she died.

Ever since America’s greatest female singer was found floating face-down in a scalding-hot bathtub on Feb. 11, 2012, Huebl

Whitney Houston was murdered by drug dealers, private investigator says

200 Utah teachers take free firearms training class

Dec. 27, 2012: Clark Aposhian, President of Utah Shooting Sport Council, demonstrates with a plastic gun during concealed-weapons training for 200 Utah teachers. (AP)

SALT LAKE CITY – Gun-rights advocates in Utah offered six hours of training Thursday in handling concealed weapons for hundreds of Utah teachers in the wake of the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.

The latest effort to arm teachers to confront school assailants was organized by the Utah Shooting Sports Council, which hosted the training session to help educators become eligible for concealed firearm permits, FOX 13 News reported.

More than 200 teachers flocked to the training class in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City. Raye Ann Blauer, a kindergarten teacher, told FOX 13 she is considering using her permit to carry a firearm at school.

“[A]fter everything that happened in Connecticut, I want to be aware of how I can help in the classroom and protect my kids and whatnot. Be aware,” Blauer said. “I think it’s really smart. Especially with everything that’s happened lately.”

English teacher Kevin Leatherbarrow holds a license to carry a concealed weapon and doesn’t see anything wrong with arming teachers in the aftermath of the deadly Connecticut school shooting.

“We’re sitting ducks,” said Leatherbarrow, who works at a Utah charter school. “You don’t have a chance in hell. You’re dead — no ifs, ands or buts.”

In Ohio, a firearms group said it was launching a test program in tactical firearms training for 24 teachers. The Arizona attorney general is proposing a change to state law to allow an educator in each school to carry a gun.

The moves come after the National Rifle Association proposed placing an armed officer at each of the nation’s schools after a gunman on Dec. 14 killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

There are already police officers in some of the nation’s schools. Parents and educators, however, have questioned how safe the NRA proposal would keep kids, whether it would be economically feasible and how it would alter student life.

Some educators say it is dangerous to allow guns. Among the dangers are teachers being overpowered for their weapons or students getting them and accidentally or purposely shooting classmates.

“It’s a terrible idea,” said Carol Lear, a chief lawyer for the Utah Office of Education. “It’s a horrible, terrible, no-good, rotten idea.”

Utah educators say they would ban guns if they could, but legislators left them with no choice. State law forbids schools, districts or college campuses from imposing their own gun restrictions.

Educators say they have no way of knowing how many teachers are armed. Gun-rights advocates estimate 1 percent of Utah teachers, or 240, are licensed to carry concealed weapons. It’s not known how many do so at school.

Gun-rights advocates say teachers can act more quickly than law enforcement in the critical first few minutes to protect children from the kind of deadly shooting that took place in Connecticut.

“We’re not suggesting that teachers roam the halls” for an armed intruder, said Clark Aposhian, chairman of the Utah Shooting Sports Council, the state’s leading gun lobby. “They should lock down the classroom. But a gun is one more option if the shooter” breaks into a classroom, he said.

The council said it would waive its $50 fee for the training. Instruction will feature plastic guns and a major emphasis will be for people who are facing deadly threats to announce they have a gun and retreat or take cover before trying to shoot, he said.

“Mass shootings may still be rare, but that doesn’t help you when the monster comes in.”

At the class, teachers offered their fingerprints for a permit as an instructor in the “psychology of mass violence” kicked off the gun class.

“I just bought a bra holster,” said Jessica Fiveash, a 32-year-old Utah teacher and wife of a retired Army sergeant who grew up shooting and said she had no hesitation packing a gun at school. “Women can’t really carry a gun on their hip.”

Utah is among few states that let people carry licensed concealed weapons into public schools without exception, the National Conference of State Legislatures says in a 2012 compendium of state gun laws.

Leatherbarrow said he often felt threatened while working at an inner-city school in Buffalo, N.Y., where he got a license to carry a pistol. He moved less than a year ago to Utah, where he feels safer.

But he said gun violence can break out anywhere. He said he was highly trained in handling guns — and was taking criticism from parents who don’t appreciate his views on school safety.

“I’m in agreement not everybody should be carrying firearms in school. They’re not trained. But for some parents to think we’re cowboys, that frustrates me,” he said. “I wish parents would understand.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

200 Utah teachers take free firearms training class

Lawmakers ramp up the rhetoric, with no plan in sight to avert fiscal crisis

Dec. 18, 2012: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks to reporters following a Democratic policy luncheon on Capitol Hill. (AP)

The rhetoric heated up Thursday as time on the clock wound down for a fiscal crisis deal, with lawmakers trickling back into Washington and no plan of action in place for averting the tax hikes and spending cuts scheduled to hit next week.

President Obama returned Thursday afternoon from vacation in Hawaii, as the Senate gaveled into session for unrelated business. House leaders announced that members will return late Sunday – but that leaves just one full day to act on any legislation before the deadline passes.

Rumors were flying Thursday afternoon about last-ditch efforts to craft some sort of a scaled-back package that can shield most Americans from the more than $500 billion in tax hikes scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. Congressional leaders are expected to meet with Obama on Friday.

But with hope fading, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said on the floor that “it looks like” the nation is going to miss the deadline.

Reid also put all the blame on House Speaker John Boehner, likening him to a dictator and claiming he was putting his speakership before the good of the country.

“John Boehner seems to care more about keeping his speakership than about keeping the nation on firm financial footing,” Reid said. “He’s waiting until Jan. 3 to get re-elected as speaker before he gets serious with negotiations because he has so many people … that won’t follow what he wants.”

Boehner’s office quickly shot back: “Senator Reid should talk less and legislate more. The House has already passed legislation to avoid the entire fiscal cliff. Senate Democrats have not,” Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on the floor that his party has “bent over backwards.”

“We stepped way, way out of our comfort zone,” he said. We wanted an agreement, but we had no takers. The phone never rang. So here we are five days from the new year and we might finally start talking.”

But he also warned, “Republicans aren’t about to write a blank check for anything the Senate Democrats put forward just because we find ourselves on the edge of the cliff.”

Separately, Vice President Biden said he was neither optimistic nor pessimistic about a deal. “You tell me what will attract Republican votes and I will tell you” what sort of plan might work, he said.

Each side continues to call on the other to act.

Reid, on the floor, urged the House to pass a Senate bill that would extend current tax rates for most families but let them rise on top earners. Reid, who wants Boehner to let the bill pass with mostly Democratic votes, claimed the chamber was “being operated with a dictatorship of the speaker.”

Boehner earlier put the onus on the Senate, referring to two Republican-passed bills in his chamber — one extending current tax rates for everyone; the other rearranging the $110 billion in spending cuts set to hit next year.

“The Senate first must act,” he and other GOP leaders said late Wednesday.

McConnell’s aides, meanwhile, claimed they expected some sort of plan to emerge from the Democratic side.

After Obama spoke separately with all four congressional leaders Wednesday before leaving Hawaii, McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said: “The leader is happy to review what the president has in mind, but to date, the Senate Democrat majority has not put forward a plan. When they do, members on both sides of the aisle will review the legislation and make decisions on how best to proceed.”

With each side refusing to make the first move, it may be incumbent upon Obama to give a negotiated bill one last try, presuming he can get all the stakeholders in the same room. Also unclear is what role McConnell, who has stayed largely quiet throughout this debate, may play in pushing for an 11th-hour deal.

A new Gallup poll, though, showed Americans are growing increasingly pessimistic about the chances for an agreement over the next few days. Considering the time it takes to write and pass a bill of this magnitude, the best route for averting tax hikes may be to pass a short-term extension of current rates with the goal of approving a larger package early next year.

Lawmakers have not even agreed to that, though. Without a deal, more than $500 billion in tax hikes are scheduled to go into effect. This includes increases in income tax rates, investment tax rates, the estate tax, the payroll tax and other provisions. Budget cuts to the Pentagon and other federal agencies threaten to hit government contractors. All together, a prolonged failure to avert these policies could cause another recession, economists warn.

Lawmakers ramp up the rhetoric, with no plan in sight to avert fiscal crisis

Autonomy founder fires back at HP after news of DOJ inquiry

After HP announced an investigation into its purchase of the software company, Autonomy founder says, “We can confirm that we have as yet had no contact from any regulatory authority.”

Autonomy founder Mike Lynch

(Credit: HP)

Autonomy founder and former CEO Mike Lynch is firing back at Hewlett-Packard after the release of HP’s annual report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today. The report states that the federal government opened an inquiry into HP’s acquisition of Autonomy in November and hints that Autonomy’s accounting is partially to blame.

“It is extremely disappointing that HP has again failed to provide a detailed calculation of its $5 billion write-down of Autonomy, or publish any explanation of the serious allegations it has made against the former management team, in its annual report filing today,” Lynch said in an e-mailed statement. “Furthermore, it is now less clear how much of the $5 billion write-down is in fact being attributed to the alleged accounting issues, and how much to other changes in business performance and earnings projections.”

HP acquired the enterprise software company in August 2011 for $11.1 billion, or 11 times its annual earnings. Since the purchase, controversy, lawsuits, and an $8.8 billion charge against HP’s earnings have ensued.

Mobile: 10 predictions for 2013

Verizon and HTC are just two companies that are expecting a busy 2013.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

If nothing else, 2012 has shown that the mobile industry is a pretty tough business to be in.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

YOUTUBE top funny video 2012

KYOUTUBE top funny video 2012

YOUTUBE top funny video 2012

Is Windows a big BUST?

BELLEVUE, Wash. — It used to be that a new version of the Windows operating system was enough to get people excited about buying a new computer, giving sales a nice pop.

Not this time. Windows 8, the latest edition of Microsoft’s software, failed to pack shoppers into a Microsoft store in a mall here last week, at a time when parking lots in the area were overflowing. The trickle of shopping bags leaving the store with merchandise was nothing like the steady stream at a bustling Apple store upstairs.

Claude Ballard was among the customers at the Microsoft store who tried out Surface, a new Microsoft-designed Windows tablet. Mr. Ballard, who described himself as a “semiretired” computer systems manager for a real estate firm, said he was intrigued by the eye-catching design of Windows 8 — but not enough to scrimp to buy a new computer this year.

“It’s economics, really,” he said. “It’s going to be a better year for my mechanic than it is for me.”

Weak PC sales this holiday season suggest that the struggles of Microsoft and other companies that depend heavily on the computer business will not abate soon. Plenty of consumers already own PCs and seem content to make do with what they have, especially in a shaky economy in which less expensive mobile devices are bidding for a share of their wallets.

While there are also many tablets running Microsoft’s new, touch-friendly Windows, they have so far failed to emerge from the shadow of competing products from Apple and Amazon and other devices that are being snapped up by holiday shoppers.

Emmanuel Fromont, president of the Americas division of Acer, the world’s No. 4 PC maker, said sales of the company’s Windows 8 PCs had been lower than expected. He said one factor was the system’s unfamiliar design, which appeared to be making consumers cautious.

“There was not a huge spark in the market,” Mr. Fromont said. “It’s a slow start, there’s no question.”

The clearest evidence of Windows 8’s disappointing introduction comes from the research firm NPD, which estimates that sales of Windows machines have actually dropped from a year ago.

According to NPD, stores in the United States sold 13 percent fewer Windows devices from late October, when Windows 8 made its debut, through the first week in December, than in the same period last year.

Those figures do not include sales in Microsoft’s own stores, which were the only place to buy a Surface tablet during that period, but because the stores are scarce, analysts believe it is unlikely they made a big difference.

“I think everybody would have hoped for a better start,” said Stephen Baker, an analyst at NPD. “The thing is, this market is not the same market that Windows 7 or Vista or even XP launched into.”

Those earlier versions of Windows all came out during periods when the PC’s status as the center of computing seemed far more secure. In the intervening years, smartphones and tablets have become much more serious rivals for a share of consumer spending on technology. Sales of PCs have been declining for much of the year.

While most people are not getting rid of their PCs altogether in favor of mobile devices, analysts believe they are postponing purchases of new ones.

“What you’re seeing is not a retirement of PCs, but a push-out in the replacement cycle,” said A. M. Sacconaghi, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein. “If people used to buy PCs every four years and are now buying them every five years, that could lower PC sales by 20 percent over time. That’s substantial.”

Mr. Sacconaghi predicted that global PC shipments would be down 3 percent in 2012.

The shift in spending to tablets is one reason that Windows 8 is so critical for Microsoft’s future. The company overhauled its operating system with a radically different, tile-based interface that is easier to navigate on touch-screen devices. Microsoft intends the software to be flexible enough that it can still be used on conventional laptops and desktops, including newer models with touch screens.

But the changes have disappointed a lot of reviewers and interface design experts, who have focused in particular on the potentially confusing coexistence of the new tile interface alongside the old desktop one.

Mr. Fromont of Acer said he thought there would be more excitement around PCs when more of the devices on store shelves had touch screens. Only 15 percent of Acer’s current Windows 8 products in North America have touch screens, he said.

Mark Martin, a spokesman for Microsoft, declined to comment, referring to past statements by Microsoft executives arguing that because Windows 8 is such a big shift, its rollout cannot be fairly judged over one shopping season.

The company says it sold 40 million copies of Windows 8 during its first month on the market, a figure that includes upgrade discs sold to consumers and copies installed on new machines by PC makers.

Apart from Acer, PC manufacturers showed little interest in discussing holiday sales of their products. Representatives for other big PC makers, including Lenovo, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Asus and Toshiba, either declined to comment on sales or did not respond to requests for comment.

Bill Calder, a spokesman for Intel, which provides the microprocessors at the heart of most PCs, did not dispute that PC sales had been slower than hoped for this holiday season, but he predicted that new Windows 8 devices coming out next year would change that. “We’re excited about the prospects,” Mr. Calder said.

Big retailers of PCs were also mostly silent on their holiday sales. Jeff Haydock, a spokesman for Best Buy, said Windows 8’s effect on PC sales had “met our expectations.” Abt Electronics, a Chicago-based retailer, painted a more positive picture, estimating that unit sales of computers were up 13 percent so far this year.

Amazon’s list of its 100 best-selling electronics products offers a telling overview of the must-have devices for this holiday season: tablets like Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD and Apple’s iPad. On Friday afternoon there were just five computers on the list, all laptops, including two from Apple that cost more than $1,000. Only one laptop on the list came with Windows 8 as an option, while another ran Windows 7.

Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, said tablets were sapping the growth of laptops, which represent the biggest chunk of computer sales. “Tablets are doing to the laptop market what laptops did to the desktop market,” he said. “They’re not going away.”

At a cavernous Best Buy store in Tukwila, Wash., last week, displays of mobile devices like the Kindle Fire HD and the iPad were much more crowded than the displays of Windows 8 devices arrayed around a much bigger section of the store. Hunched over a Windows 8 laptop was Jeff Lindstrom, a resource specialist at a Y.M.C.A. in Seattle, who said he needed to buy a computer that day for a youth program.

He didn’t care for the design of Windows 8 himself, though, and said he had no plans to replace his own six-year-old laptop. “I’m not impressed,” Mr. Lindstrom said. “It’s such a different direction than what I’m used to.”

http://www.cnbc.com

By: By Nick Wingfield

Is Windows a big BUST?

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

How to Design Like Apple

How to Design like Apple

Steve Jobs was a notorious perfectionist. Apple engineers and designers went through hundreds of revisions on every prototype that made it into his hands. But Jobs’ maniacal obsession paid off. No gadget on the market is as instantly recognizable nor as coveted as the latest iteration of an Apple product. The company’s dedication to sleek design and intuitive, user-friendly technology has made each iPad, iPhone and Macbook launch an enormous success.

And how did Jobs and Apple do it? The company follows a set of simple but strict rules to ensure that every product meets Jobs’ standards for clean and flawless design. First, design must complement and improve the product’s usability, never detract from it. And of course, Apple’s sleek and uncomplicated aesthetic must be reflected by every component of the product, no matter how small.

Apple’s design philosophy sounds simple, but putting it into practice is more difficult. Check out Online MBA’s latest video to see Apple’s philosophy boiled down into five principles that any designer or brandmaker can leverage in their own work.

Provided by http://www.onlinemba.com/blog/design-like-apple

How to Design Like Apple

ZTE officially unveils high-end Nubia Z5

Despite no plans to hit the U.S., the ZTE Nubia Z5 quad-core specs are still impressive.

The ZTE Nubia Z5

(Credit: ZTE)

Though it isn’t slated for the U.S. anytime soon, ZTE’s ultra-high-end device, the Nubia Z5, finally launched today.

The handset comes in black or white, and has a 5-inch 1080p touch screen with a 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution and 443ppi. The display itself is manufactured by Sharp.

Its aluminum uni-body design measures 5.43-inches tall, 2.71-inches wide, and has a thin, 0.3-inch profile. And at 4.44 ounces, it’s more lightweight than most standard 5-inch smartphones.

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ZTE Grand X brandishes T-Mobile logo in FCC listings

A photo of the ZTE Grand X in FCC filings. Notice the T-Mobile brand.

(Credit: FCC)

The ZTE Grand X, a mid-level 4.3-inch handset with a dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor inside, made its way to the FCC strutting a T-Mobile logo on its exterior.

Netflix to get 'social features' next year

The video streaming and rental company will move fast to allow users to share their viewing habits after getting government clearance last week.

(Credit: Netflix)

Netflix will get “social features” that will allow users to share their viewed movies online, according to a report by Talking Points Memo.

Netflix has long wanted users to link their video accounts with Facebook and other social networks, but has been prevented from doing so because of the Video Privacy Protection Act, which bars company from disclosing information such as video rentals. An amendment to that law passed on Friday allows digital, as opposed to written, permission from users and thus makes it easier for Netflix to move forward with its social plans.

CNET contacted Netflix

Netflix to get 'social features' next year

Unmasking ungrateful Xmas kids on Twitter

Oh, deary me.

(Credit: Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)

People’s expectations tend to stretch far beyond anything that resembles reality. And the people whose expectations tend to stretch furthest beyond reality — especially at Christmas — are known by the colloquial term “the young.”

We should, therefore, bow in solemn gratitude to writer Jon Hendren, who tears himself away from his own personal Xmas in order to retweet the messages of those who aren’t happy with their gifts.

Yes, the young, the feckless, the occasionally heartless.

Here’s a tweet — retweeted by Hendren — offered in advance of Santa wafting down a sooted chimney.

@annemcgerber groaned: “If I got a black iPad I’d probably kill myself.” Yes, there’s nothing more disappointing than getting a black iPad.

Take this from Alyssa Northcutt: “I’m really not getting an iPhone for Christmas…… #heartbreaking #depressing #WHYmom.”

Oh, puppy. Perhaps a mom’s love is conditional after all.

It wasn’t just girls whining. Here’s this from @jackthesphynx: “the only thing i really wanted for xmas was a macbook pro and i know i wont get one so whATEVER.”

Whatever, indeed. Laptops are out anyway, Jack. I can’t believe they didn’t get you an iPad Mini, though.

And then there was Katie: “I told my dad that if he got me the Iphone 4s instead of 5 I’d throw it at him #PrincessProbz.”

Princesses do have problems that are simply greater than the rest of us. We should all sympathize.

But after Santa’s visit, the pain came down sharper than surgery without anesthetic.

Here’s @leezadorio: “I didn’t get an IPhone for Christmas time to roll up into a ball and die.”

That seems like a slightly extreme reaction, poppet.

Panting close behind in the Ingratitude Marathon was a lady with the handle “Majesty.” She wrote: “and my mom went directly against me. she asked me if I wanted the black or white iPad. I said white, of course. tell me why mine is black..?”

Oh, your Majesty. Perhaps your mom has been trying to tune you out for years and you just haven’t noticed.

The trail of woe went on and on to the point that Hendren decided to post these tweets to his siteSad And Useless.

One of the latest samples came from the touchingly humane tweeter @jiawhite(:: “I feel bad for my mom cause I can tell she knows I’m pissed at her for giving me s*** ass presents.”

I feel bad for your mom too, Jia.

However, one or two might feel aggrieved at Hendren’s enthusiastic retweeting.

Take the Twitterer Finnick Odair. She tweeted: “Only got an iPad 2 god mum I wanted a f***** iPhone 5 f*** sake:///”

That little smiley thing at the end might suggest that she was annoyed… or just kidding.

Still Odair, who claims that the Hunger Games and HP are her life, managed to receive more opprobrium than most after Hendren’s retweet of her words.

Just a few hours ago, she tweeted: “559 retweets, eight people telling me to kill myself, five death threats and several condemnations. Christmas Day 2012 has been a fun one.”

Hendren had asked that his more than 49,000 followers don’t take their own righteous frustrations out on the guilty (or innocent).

Unmasking ungrateful Xmas kids on Twitter

Samsung plans to ship half a billion handsets in 2013

he Korean phone company aims to ship 510 million handsets next year.

Samsung has big plans for 2013.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

This year has been a big year for Samsung, and if all goes as planned, the good times will continue well into 2013.

Apple wins critical SIM connector patent

The company received a patent that allows SIM cards to be easily swapped into devices such as smartphones or tablets. It may be a handy weapon given recent battles over SIM card standards.

A regular SIM card and a micro-SIM card for the iPhone 4.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Apple received a patent for connectors use to replace or remove SIM cards in mobile devices.

The patent covers connectors that allow for multiple methods of inserting a SIM card, including the “plunger system,” in which a user pushes on a plunger rod to eject the SIM card. The patent was first identified by Patently Apple.

Apple argues that the connector patent covers various kinds of SIM cards — supposedly ranging from the larger standard cards to the micro-SIM cards that Apple uses in its mobile devices — though the patent’s actual claims are silent on that front. The patent claims — the only legally enforceable section of the document — describe a connector that includes a plastic housing, plunger rod, lever for the plunger rod, contacts, retaining clips on the sides of the connector, and a metallic shield bent to fit in the axis point.

Apple has recently battled with other industry stalwarts over the future of SIM card design, with the European Telecommunications Standards Institute ruling on a standard for SIM cards. Apple had pushed its nano SIM card technology, and promised free use of the technology in exchange for similar terms for their own industry-standard technology, although its rivals balked at the offer.

Having an approved patent may give Apple additional ammunition if the industry continues to fight over industry standards.

Apple wins critical SIM connector patent

Convenient iTunes 11 Keyboard Shortcut

Beyond the basic arrow key navigation and space bar to start and stop song playback, there are a few other keyboard shortcuts in iTunes 11 that can be used to help you navigate its features.

Since the release of iTunes 11, a few convenient keyboard shortcuts have been revealed that offer quick ways to manage playback, navigate the windows, or otherwise deal with some of iTunes’ common functions. As with most programs, various shortcuts can be found in the application’s menus. However, along with these there are some hidden options that may prove convenient.

Clear play queue
When playing songs in iTunes, we often use the space bar to play and pause a song; however, this does not fully stop playback of the songs in queue. Instead, it functions as a pause command — when you press the space bar again, the song resumes where it left off. If you would like to stop the playback of the current song in the play queue you can “cancel” it by using the common “Command-period” keyboard shortcut for cancel operations in OS X. A variation on this is to press the space bar followed by the right-arrow key to select the next song without playing it.

Select sections in iTunes
iTunes organizes content into Music, Movies, TV Shows, Books, Apps, and other categories based on what you have purchased from the iTunes store or what you have added to your library. You can select these areas of iTunes by holding the Command key and then typing a corresponding number key:

Command-1 = Music
Command-2 = Movies
Command-3 = TV shows
Command-4 = Podcasts
Command-5 = iTunes U
Command-6 = Books
Command-7 = Apps

Adding songs to Up-Next
One of the changes in iTunes 11 is the “Up Next” feature. If you hold the Option key down, a plus button will appear next to the song under your mouse cursor. If clicked, this will put the song in the Up-Next queue. In addition you can simply press Option-Enter to add a selected song to the queue. This is convenient if you are searching and browsing your library with the arrow keys.

Unfortunately this feature does not work with multiple file selections. If you select more than one song and press the Option key, they will all show a plus button; however, if you then press Option-Enter or click the plus button, only the first selection or that which you click will be added to the Up Next queue. This may be a bug in the program or an upcoming feature, but currently is not an implementation in iTunes 11.

CNET News Technically Incorrect Randi Zuckerberg loses control on Facebook (and Twitter) Randi Zuckerberg loses control on Facebook (and Twitter)

Oh, Lordy. Let’s discuss decency.

(Credit: Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)

It’s easy to have sympathy for those who have been misled by Facebook’s ever-morphing privacy controls. One should therefore have additional sympathy when the person led astray is a former director of Facebook and enjoys the name Zuckerberg.

Randi Zuckerberg thought she had posted a picture to be only seen by her friends. Suddenly, it was there for all to see. Yes, all. The world. The whole misanthropic, green-eyed human race.

As ReadWriteWeb’s Dan Lyons icily fulminates, it seems that one of her sister’s friends saw the picture, assumed it was for public viewing and — because of its profoundly fascinating nature — tweeted it down the Styx to public hell.

You’ll be wondering about the picture. Well, it shows several members of the Zuckerberg family standing around the kitchen, staring into their cellphones and seeming astoundingly happy.

You might imagine that Randi Zuckerberg felt this was not the right message to be sending to the world.

Happy families at this time of year can be disturbing sights, encouraging onlookers to wonder what lurks beneath those open mouths and exposed teeth.

Yes, and do it publicly.

(Credit: Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)

People will wonder what gifts these people bought each other and why the boy with the very pale face and the hoodie is leaning smugly against the kitchen cabinets.

Zuckerberg, however, leaped onto Twitter to explain her pain: “Digital etiquette: always ask permission before posting a friend’s photo publicly. It’s not about privacy settings, it’s about human decency.”

Oh, but this only led to her receiving little lectures — not exclusively about human decency, oddly enough.

Media Bistro wondered whether she was a Twitter bully.

Lyons, pitching from the full wind-up, felt that the decency thing was a little indecent:

It’s so important, in fact, that now Randi Zuckerberg, a not-universally-acclaimed aspiring chanteuse who rocks Silicon Valley with an awesome band called Feedbomb, as well as producer of a terrible reality series about Silicon Valley (See Bravo’s Silicon Valley: The Painful Truth Behind A Caricature Of Excess), as well as sister of the guy who created that beacon of morality known as Facebook, would like to use this as a teaching moment in which she can instruct the world about basic human decency.

And a tweeter called Anna soothed her with: “@randizuckerberg Instead of vilifying a subscriber for not reading your mind, maybe you should talk to your brother about recent FB changes.”

You’re already wondering how that conversation might go, aren’t you? You’re already imagining whether the brother in question would listen raptly or would stare into the medium distance, privately imagining, perhaps, what live animal he might kill next.

Personally, though, I don’t believe that money breeds spectacular levels of self-righteousness. I actually agree with La Zuckerberg.

She is absolutely right that the standard of human decency should fly higher and more proudly than any handkerchief flag of privacy.

Facebook should immediately impose a code of conduct. Its one principle should be that of human decency.

Everyone on the site — including Facebook’s management and breast police — should first consider the intentions of users before doing anything. It will be an excellent exercise of their human skills.

CNET News Technically Incorrect Randi Zuckerberg loses control on Facebook (and Twitter) Randi Zuckerberg loses control on Facebook (and Twitter)

Why startups shouldn't be afraid of Facebook cloning them

It’ll take more than a Poke to knock out Snapchat.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ben Parr/CNET)

How long does it take a multibillion-dollar technology juggernaut to clone a popular social networking app? The answer: less than two weeks.

I am, of course, talking about Poke, Facebook’s clone of Snapchat, the app whose messages self-destruct after 1 to 10 seconds. As many people like to point out, it’s perfect for sexting, but there are a lot of other fun and innovative uses for this clever type of messaging.

For all intents and purposes, Poke is almost identical to Snapchat. Snapchat is focused on photos and videos, while Poke adds self-destructing messages and the classic Facebook poke feature to its arsenal. Poke relies entirely on your Facebook friend network, while Snapchat can dig into your contacts and let you share (sexy) photos with strangers.

One key difference: Snapchat already has a loyal user base that sends more than 50 million photos across its network every day, with many of its users teenagers. But Poke is quickly catching up. Within a day of its release, the app rocketed up the iOS charts to become the No. 1 free app in the App Store (it’s now at No. 3). Snapchat currently occupies the No. 7 spot.

It’s an impressive feat to hit No. 1 in the App Store, even for the world’s largest social network. Facebook, unlike other giants, has the ability to quickly approve, build, and release products. The fact that it took just 12 days for this app to become a reality is simply mind-boggling.

Big players entering your market doesn’t equal Armageddon
Should entrepreneurs just give up on their app ideas, simply because Facebook could eventually clone them and crush them with a billion users? Of course not, and anybody who thinks that Facebook (or any other big company) cloning a startup’s product spells Armageddon for that startup doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

Remember when Facebook tried to make a Foursquare competitor? How about the time it tried to make a Groupon competitor, and it went nowhere? The same is true of its Quora competitor(Facebook Questions) and even its Craigslist competitor (Facebook Marketplace).

I could go on and on, but the point is clear: a big company launching a clone can be scary, but it doesn’t mean Armageddon. There are two other factors to consider: defensibility and vision.

Remember Facebook Questions? It sure didn’t stop Quora.

(Credit: Facebook)

Defensibility
As I have previously explained in depth, a product’s defensibility comes from either its technology or its traction. Technology startups’ products aren’t easy to clone because they have proprietary technology that even the big companies don’t have. Just imagine AltaVista trying to clone Google — it wouldn’t have succeeded.

The other type of startup is the traction startup, whose product is defensible because it has a growing network of engaged users. Why use a new social network or app, even one from a large company, if your friends aren’t using it?

Instagram is a prime example. There were dozens of photo-sharing apps, but only one with large-scale traction. Facebook knew that Instagram’s was so strong that it posed a threat to Facebook itself, so it did the only sensible thing it could: it bought the company.

Snapchat’s current users aren’t going to immediately abandon the app for Facebook’s Poke. They’ve built up friends, messages, and a history on Snapchat, and they will continue to invite their friends to join. Poke’s launch could affect user growth as potential users may choose it over Snapchat, but Poke also brings a lot more attention to the market and may end up boosting Snapchat’s growth. How both apps perform in the App Store over the next few weeks will give us a better idea of Facebook’s impact on Snapchat.

Defensibility matters, though it’s always better if you have proprietary technology that even Facebook can’t clone.

Vision
The other thing that people seem to be forgetting in the Poke vs. Snapchat debate is the long-term vision and commitment each team has to its respective products.

Snapchat’s founders have been at this since May 2011. They’ve had time to think about the road map for their product, and they don’t have dozens of other products and projects to distract them. Snapchat’s founders reportedly turned down an acquisition offer from Facebook. They wouldn’t do that if they didn’t have a long-term plan they were confident in.

Poke, on the other hand, is essentially a two-week hackathon project led by Zuckerberg and product guru Blake Ross. I doubt they’ve had time to develop a long-term road map for the product. It’s not even clear whether they’re going to keep working on the app or simply let it languish in the App Store. Will Zuckerberg divert engineers and resources to developing Poke for the long haul? I doubt he’s even thought about it.

I don’t know what Snapchat’s long-term vision is, but I bet it involves more than photo messages that disappear after 5 seconds. You can bet Snapchat will come fighting back with new features soon, though. Will Facebook care enough to respond? Perhaps. Will Facebook continue development on Poke for the next two or three years in order to keep up with Snapchat? I personally doubt it.

Final thoughts
My point is this: it takes a lot more than a clone to take out a scrappy startup. It also takes a long-term commitment by a juggernaut. For Facebook to take out Snapchat, it will have to constantly add features to Poke and find ways to either contain Snapchat’s growth or chip away at its core user base. This is easier said than done, even for a company like Facebook.

Don’t be afraid of the juggernaut entering your market, entrepreneurs. If you have a long-term vision, focus on defensibility and build faster than the competition, you’ll eventually become the juggernaut.

Why startups shouldn't be afraid of Facebook cloning them

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Much Better' Nelson Mandela Gets Christmas Wishes

Getty Images

Nelson Mandela is currently in a Pretoria hospital with a lung infection. In 2011 the former president of South Africa was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for an acute respiratory infection.

Former South African leader Nelson Mandela looks “much better” after medical treatment and doctors are pleased with his progress, President Jacob Zuma said after visiting the anti-apartheid icon in a hospital on Christmas Day.

Zuma joined Mandela’s wife, Graca Machel, and other family members in wishing a Merry Christmas to Mandela at his bedside, according to the president’s office.

“We found him in good spirits,” Zuma said in a statement. “He shouted my clan name, Nxamalala, as I walked into the ward! He was happy to have visitors on this special day and is looking much better. The doctors are happy with the progress that he is making.”

Mandela was admitted Dec. 8 to a hospital in Pretoria, the South African capital. He was diagnosed with a lung infection and also had a procedure to remove gallstones. Officials have previously said Mandela was improving, but note doctors are taking extraordinary care because he is 94 years old.

Zuma said Mandela’s family appreciates the support it has received from the public.

“That is what keeps them going at this difficult time,” he said.

Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years under apartheid, the system of white minority rule that was eventually dismantled, opening the way to South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. Mandela, a Nobel laureate, served one five-year term as president before retiring.

He was brought to the Pretoria hospital from his home in Qunu, a rural village in Eastern Cape province where Mandela lived as a child.

In the Johannesburg township of Soweto, worshippers offered prayers for Mandela while attending Christmas Mass at Regina Mundi, a Catholic church that was a stronghold of anti-government sentiment during the apartheid years.

Some expressed disappointment that Mandela wasn’t well enough to return home for the holiday.

“We wish him a Merry Christmas,” Ivy Mncube said outside the church. “We wish him well for all the days that are left for him.”

Copyright Associated Press

Much Better' Nelson Mandela Gets Christmas Wishes

DA: Long Island Man Killed Friend, Hid Body in Closet

A prosecutor says an ex-convict charged with killing a friend and hiding the body in his Long Island closet for nearly a week told police he tried to cut off the victim’s head with an ax.

Newsday says Aston Barth is being held without bail after pleading not guilty Tuesday to murdering neighbor Jason Campbell. Barth’s lawyer declined to comment.

Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Glenn Kurtzrock says the 33-year-old Barth told investigators he choked Campbell while the two argued in Barth’s room in his Central Islip home Dec. 18. Barth’s relatives found the body Monday.

Barth’s mother, Connie Barth, tells Newsday he has been treated for mental illness since childhood but refused help in recent years.

DA: Long Island Man Killed Friend, Hid Body in Closet

Human Remains Found in Firemen Killer's Burned Upstate Home

Human Remains Found in Firemen Killer's Burned Home

AP Images, Facebook, Town of Webster, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office

Police said volunteer firefighters, Tomasz Kaczowka (far left inset) and Michael Chiapperini (left inset) were shot and killed by William Spengler (right inset) while responding to a fire Spengler set in Webster, N.Y.

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